The Encyclopedia of Pastel Techniques

Book excerpt: This resource provides a wealth of stimulating ideas to help artists--both amateurs and veterans--develop their own pastel style. A new, up-to-date edition of the popular and comprehensive encyclopedia by professional artist Judy. Many manuals on pastel painting take for granted the use of traditional soft pastels, a dry medium that provides the richness and variety of paint colours. Soft pastel is certainly the most versatile and widely used, but the modern range of materials include other pastel types that have their own specific purpose. In this exhaustive A-Z reference for artists of all skills, a variety of different pastel types are detailed, from oil through to water-soluble pastels, amongst the multitude of techniques broken down and easily explained. The book itself is divided into two sections: the first provides step-by-step demonstrations that guide artists through a variety of techniques, from basic colour mixing through to creating special effects such as sgraffito and sfumato. The second part focuses on themes, illustrating how individual artists tackle a number of subjects, including natural landscapes, urban scenes, figures, animals and still life.